An Unexpected Leader
by Revan the Bold
Summary: Naruto must help the remnants of the Lost Clan of the Uchiha rise to prominence once again. Can he lead them to a prosperous future? To do so, he'll have to face an enemy more powerful than Madara... Naruhina, a little SasuSaku. Rated T for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

The razor-sharp tip of the kunai blade barely scratched Naruto's cheek, drawing a thin, curving trail of blood from his face. An insignificant dribble trickled off it, dripping onto his thin white sparring tunic. He had never known Hinata to come at him so fiercely. As Hinata's blade whiffed its arc through the air, she quickly pivoted and threw a spinning kick at him. He deftly caught her ankle with his right hand-her foot three inches from his face- and grabbed her right wrist, throwing her off balance. She recovered quickly, though, and quickly thrust her left palm at his face, forcing him to release his grip and retreat slightly. He crouched low and quickly dashed forward, sweeping Hinata off her feet, then promptly dropped her on the mat of the training room-hard enough to be a definitive winning blow, but not hard enough to cause any real injury, of course.  
Breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from beneath his shaggy blond hair, then chuckled, offering a hand to help Hinata up. Taking it, she leapt up, untying the ribbon that held her dark blue hair in a ponytail when she sparred. Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of silk.  
She smiled jokingly. "I was _that_ close," she said, holding a thumb and a forefinger an inch apart. "Next time, I'll have to watch out for that charge of yours."  
Naruto shrugged, grinning. "What can I say? Jiraiya, the old perv, trained me well, not to mention Fukasaku on Mt. Myoboku. I sure paid for it in bruises and blood, though. Heh heh!"  
Hinata smiled shyly like Naruto remembered her doing for so long. She had always had the air of introversion about her, and it had never really left her, even ten years after Pain's invasion of Konoha.  
"I'd like to see how I would do against Kakashi-sensei, or even Lady Tsunade!" she said, pressing her index fingers together in what had become a tic for her.  
Naruto looked curious. "Huh, I never thought about that. You know, I think you might just be an even match for Kakashi-sensei…even if he is the Hokage!"  
She looked down, smiling somewhat bashfully. "Well, it's only because you've been helping to train me. With technique like you've shown, you'll be taking over Kakashi-sensei's postion in no time!"  
"You think so?" he said, eyes opening in mock surprise. "Hey, don't sell yourself short, even if you're comparing yourself to a beast like me!" She chuckled- Naruto couldn't tell if she was laughing at the ridiculous pose he had just struck or just at him in general. "What's so funny? Thinking that the super special Naruto-only training isn't effective?"  
She shook her head. "No, no, that's not it at all. I was just thinking how badly we must both stink right now! We've been sparring for over two hours…I think we'd best shower off before someone pops in and smells the fragrant odor of sweat."  
Naruto shrugged. "I dunno," he said with a mischievous grin. "Maybe it's not fragrant in the traditional sense, but I think of it as earthy. Natural."  
Hinata gently swatted Naruto on the head. "Earthy it may be, but I doubt many people would stick around too long if we don't wash off."  
Naruto sighed in mock defeat. "Fine, then. But you've got to let me wash that beautiful hair of yours…"

As Hinata dried her hair with a black-and-red towel, Naruto sat back on the large, curved couch that encircled about half the room. It rested on a square rug decorated with flowing lines and flowers. He tried to keep from laughing when he saw her hair come out a frizzy halo around her head from under the towel-and failed.  
She glared at him, her face turning a brilliant shade of crimson. "Hey, don't tease me just because of my hair…"  
His grin faded to a warm smile as he took an ornate hairbrush from the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Yeah, I know," he said. He gently started to brush her hair from the top of her head down to just past her shoulders as she sat next to him. Time stood still for a few minutes, Naruto savoring the fresh smell of Hinata's green apple shampoo, the sound of her rhythmic breaths, the warmth of her arm against his.  
All too soon, he was done, and Hinata's hair again was an object of beauty, as it curled around her neck and into her eyes.  
"There," he said, putting the hairbrush back. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "All done."  
She smiled up at him. "As always, you've done a good job, Naruto-kun." She cocked her head, as if an idea had just hit her. "What did you want to do for dinner tonight?"  
He put on a thoughtful expression. "Hmm…" he mused. "How about-"  
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Naruto sighed jokingly, standing up to answer the door. As he opened it, he said "Hey, guys, I-". He stopped dead when he saw who the group standing at his doorstep was.  
A group of three men wearing black cloaks emblazoned with the symbol of the Uchiha clan on the front towered over him. On the back they featured a stylized Sharingan eye staring into nothing.  
A bit unnerved, Naruto nonetheless wasn't one to deliberately offend visitors. "Umm, hi. Can I, uh, help you with anything?"  
For a second, none of the black-haired trio said anything. Then, suddenly, the tallest knelt down and offered Naruto a long, slender katana. "Lord Uzumaki!" he said emphatically. "We beg of you, please…Lead the reborn Uchiha!"


	2. A Separate Uchiha

An Unexpected Leader, Part 2

An Unexpected Leader, Part 2

"The…reborn Uchiha?" Naruto said, not at all understanding. "I think you've got something wrong. The Uchiha were massacred over fifteen years ago, if you didn't already know. Plus, Sasuke's gone off to God knows where, and Itachi's dead. So they're kind of, y'know, gone."

The man with the katana didn't look up. "My lord, in this matter you are wrong. Yes, the Uchiha living in Konoha at the time were indeed slaughtered by Itachi Uchiha, who was later killed by his brother. However…the founder of the clan, Uchiha Madara-" Naruto stiffened at the name, seeing as how he had killed the Akatsuki leader briefly after Pain's invasion-"thought it fit in the early days of the clan to siphon off a select few members, strong and skilled in ninjutsu, to live in a remote part of the Land of Fire, hiding away in the case of an event such as happened here. He knew that if the Uchiha were gathered together in one place they would eventually be wiped out- he could not let that happen."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well, okay…that makes sense, I guess. But why would you pick now to come out of hiding? It's been just shy of ten years since Madara's been dead. Plus, why would you come to me, anyway? It's not like I'm part Uchiha or something."

The kneeling man stood up. " We come to you because you are the one who killed our Lord Madara. He gave us a specific set of instructions- there were two conditions on which we were to come out of hiding." He held up his index finger. " The first was that Lord Madara himself be killed. However, when you did this, the second condition had not yet been met."

Naruto blinked a couple of times. "Hold on a second, I'm getting confused. If I killed Madara, why would you be coming to me to take his place?"

"Because defeating Lord Madara means that you are strong, strong beyond even him. He himself told us to seek out whomever defeated him in pitched combat, for their strength would be needed in the upcoming years after the second condition was met."

"Wait…"Naruto said, looking inquisitively at the man. "Okay, then. If defeating Madara was the first condition to come out of hiding, then what was the second?"

The man looked gravely at him. "Lord Madara knew that we would need to rejoin Konoha and seek out the one that defeated him because…the village would again come under threat from a force greater than even him. He did this because the only way Konoha would be safe would be for the Uchiha to once again become protectors of the village and stave off the opponent. In other words, to answer your question, Lord Uzumaki, the second condition was that The Cult of The Fox become active .This is the reason you see us here."

"The Cult of The Fox? I've got no clue what that is, sorry. Mind filling me in?"

The man looked both ways just as his companions turned to look at him and shake their heads. "I am sorry, Lord Uzumaki. Forgive me, but I cannot give you this information right here. Too many ears. I and my comrades will return here tomorrow at the same time to show you to somewhere more secure. In the meanwhile, please take this katana as a symbol of our goodwill. It saw Lord Madara through many intense battles. I hope it does the same for you."

As the three began to turn away, Naruto held out the hand not holding the katana. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "If you want me to…to be your leader…then shouldn't I at least know your names?"

The man looked at him for a few seconds. " I…cannot give you our names at the moment, but you may call me the Doctor. My companions are called the Owl -"he indicated the man with a shock of white in his raven hair, though he was clearly no older than Naruto- " and the Bard." Here he gestured at the man on his left who walked with a slight limp. All three bowed again. "I sincerely hope you will consider what we have told you here. As I said before, the Owl, the Bard and I will return here tomorrow at the same time. And, Lord Uzumaki…" Here the Doctor glanced inside. "Protect that which is important to you. The meaning to my words will become evident in the coming days. Farewell."

In an instant, the three men vanished in a flash, leaving behind several black feathers wafting onto the ground. Naruto stood there unmoving for a second.

"Naruto-kun?" he heard from inside. "Who was at the door?"

A strange grin formed on his face. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Several hours later, at Ichiraku, Naruto was more reflective than usual, staring down into his bowl the entire time. Hinata sat by in awkward silence, not knowing what else to do. After a period of non-conversation, she finally figured that she should talk to him.

"Um, Naruto-kun, what's wrong? I mean, you're not talking at all. It's not like you. Say _something_, at least."

Suddenly, Naruto sat straight up, rather than slouched over. "Hinata-chan, I've got to take a look at something in the village history records, meaning I've got to talk to Kakashi-sensei. I'm sorry… I'll probably be pretty late coming home."

Hinata pushed the remaining noodles around in her bowl. "Oh…all right, then. Just make sure to be safe, okay? Try not to fall asleep reading. I know it's not your favorite thing to do." She punctuated her last statement with a nervous chuckle. Naruto tried to give her a reassuring grin.

"Sure, Hinata-chan. I'll be back tonight, don't worry about it."

He kissed her farewell, then trudged to the Hokage's headquarters, the Doctor's words heavy in his mind. What exactly was The Cult of The Fox? Who were these mysterious other Uchiha? Were they really even Uchiha at all? Hopefully, the village archives would hold at least some of the answers.

_Strange, I thought I'd have known about a cult devoted to me. I've never heard of The Cult of The Fox._

Naruto blinked. It was still weird having conversations with the Kyubi. It was like having thoughts projected directly projected directly into his head. "You sure you don't know anything about them?" he directed at the fox spirit.

_ Positive, squirt. I don't recall anybody worshipping any of the Biju, except for maybe the jubi._

"Do you think that the visitors were actually Uchiha, then?"

_ Believe me, boy. I know Uchiha blood when I see it. Those three are definitely from Madara's clan. They weren't lying about that…Perhaps this cult _is_ real, then._

"Maybe The Cult of The Fox isn't centered around you. Maybe they worship some other entity."

Kyubi snorted._ I doubt it. How many other foxes do you see around bigger than a breadbox? Why worship something you can kill and eat so easily, huh, squirt?_

"You might have a point," Naruto conceded. "Or maybe they worship something with the qualities of a fox, like someone really smart and crafty. You think that might be a possibility?"

_Look, kid, I don't have any more of the answers. You'd learn more from the archives.  
_

"I suppose that's your way of telling me to shut up."

_You catch on quickly, don't you?  
_

Naruto rolled his eyes, then noticed that they were in front of the Hokage's quarters. He did a mental double take. That had never happened before; he had never lost track of time when talking to Kyubi. Attributing it to weariness, he climbed the winding stairs that led to the door. He raised his hand to knock when the door opened, and he saw Kakashi sitting behind the desk, with Tsunade and Shizune facing him in front of it. He turned to see that Shikamaru was the one who had opened the door.

"Ah, good to finally see you, Naruto," Kakashi said, finally looking over at Naruto. "We were expecting to see you around here sooner or later. You might want to take a seat, though. We've got quite a bit to discuss."


	3. Return And Departure

An Unexpected Leader, Chapter III

**Konoha, approximately eight years before the present day**

Cherry blossoms fluttered through the air, leaving in their wake an indescribable scent. As Naruto and Hinata walked hand-in-hand down the road out of the marriage house, people from all over the village lined either side of them. Behind them trailed several people, all in varying degrees of formal wear- Kiba, Shino, Neji, Kakashi, Kurenai, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato.

As they walked, Kakashi leaned over to Kurenai. "Has it already been six years since those two were genin just out of the Academy?" he whispered.

Kurenai chuckled. "I know the feeling, Kakashi. Still, it's amazing they turned out so normal, given all they've been through."

Kakashi nodded. "It's a shame Sasuke's not here."

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped," Kurenai replied. "He hasn't spoken to anyone since he turned up a week ago in the middle of the night."

Kakashi's face went grave. "He's been holed up in a rented apartment the entire time, yeah. Even Naruto wasn't able to get a single sentence out of him. He just sits there with that blank look on his face. I've got no clue what's wrong…"

Kurenai slowly shook her head. "Well, thinking about it right now won't help anything. We've got to be happy for the two of them."

Kakashi sighed. "You're right, of course," he said. His face abruptly split into a Cheshire cat grin. "How's that?"

Kurenai had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. "You're such an idiot, Kakashi!"

When the group finally made it to the reception hall, Naruto and Hinata sat away from the hustle and bustle of caterers making the final preparations in a hidden hallway. As they sat together on the bench, Naruto kissed Hinata again.

"Can you believe it?" he said, holding up his ring and grinning like a maniac. "We're actually _married!_"

Hinata smiled and rubbed her eyes, smudging her mascara not for the first time. "I know," she responded, holding up the silver ring embedded with a stunning sapphire. "It's hard to believe, yeah…It feels like this is all just a dream, that I'm going to wake up and be utterly disappointed."

Naruto playfully pinched her cheek. "Well, hey, now you know it's not a dream!"

"Naruto…"

Jolted out of his infatuation with Hinata for the moment, he could only stare at who had called his name.

"Sasuke."Naruto had no clue what else to say. "It's good to see you out of that apartment."

Sasuke was dressed in a simple black shirt with matching pants. "Naruto," he repeated. "I need to talk to you."

He nodded. "Sure, Sasuke. Anything."

Sasuke stared at him for a second, then fell to his knees. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry. I put you and Sakura and Kakashi-sensei through so much pain because I was too blind to see that I had become what I hated. I…I can't stay here. I don't deserve anything even resembling peace. After I talk to Sakura and Kakashi-sensei…I've got to leave."

Naruto looked as though he had just been stabbed. "No!"he exclaimed, putting both hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "You can't! Who do you have out there? Nobody! You can stay here… Your friends are here, Sasuke. They want you to be here, too."

Sasuke didn't look up. "Don't you see, Naruto? That's exactly why I have to leave. I can't face them after what I've done. I don't deserve to call them my friends. I…I have to leave, Naruto."

Naruto blinked. "You might be right, Sasuke. Maybe you don't deserve to call them your friends. But even if you don't deserve to, I don't know a single person out there who wouldn't call themselves a friend of yours. You don't have to earn it, it's a title they'll give to you willingly.

Sasuke slowly looked up at him. "The worst part is…I know that. I know they would. That's why I'm going to stay in contact with you. I'll send a hawk here every other day with a letter attached to it. If you need to talk to me, tie the message to its leg and send it back. I…I need to atone, and I don't know how. I have to find my own redemption." He stood up. "Goodbye, Naruto. And…congratulations."

Before he left, Sasuke smiled sadly and placed a small box beside Naruto. He knew that this was something Sasuke had to do for himself, and the best he could do would be to leave him to it…and let him know that he wasn't alone.

After a minute or two, Hinata touched Naruto's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…"

He shook his head. "Nah, don't be. Sasuke's got to do it, and…well, he knows where he stands now, and who stands beside him. He'll be back eventually."He kissed her again. "But for now, we've got other things to worry about- like all the guests!"

Naruto stood, taking Hinata by the hand and leading her into the main foyer, where the tables and chairs were, along with the dance floor.

"Hinata!" Kiba shouted, rushing over to greet the two. He grabbed her by the shoulders and put her in a bear hug. "Congratulations, you two!" He took a look at Naruto and laughed. "Well, well. Who'd have thought that the lovable loser from squad 7 would end up a hero and marry my teammate? I guess it goes to show that opposites really do attract."

Naruto gave a mock-wounded look. "I don't know what you mean with the 'loser' bit."

"I have a feeling you do, Naruto, but we'll leave that for now, because Akamaru has something to show you and Hinata!"

Suddenly, the giant white dog sidled up beside Kiba, apparently freshly washed and groomed. Naruto knelt down next to him.

"All right, then, pooch, whatcha got to show me?" he said to the dog.

Akamaru nosed the brown bag that was slung over his chest toward the two. Naruto opened it and looked inside, pulling out a small sculpture of himself and Hinata. It showed him carrying her over the threshold of some unknown house. It was marble grey, and extremely detailed.

"Wow," Naruto said. "This is…amazing, Kiba. Thank you…thank you a lot."

Kiba grinned. "You like it, huh? I thought you might. Had that custom designed just for you two."

Hinata shyly smiled. "Th-thank you, Kiba."

**Konoha, present day**

Hinata walked home in the fading light, clutching her coat around her. Winter was coming on again- it was her favorite time of year. Again she thought of Naruto, and what exactly he was doing. Did this have anything to do with the visitors that Naruto had told her about? It had to- he was probably looking up something about the Cult of the Fox. She had a feeling that he knew what he was doing, but she couldn't help but worry. As she locked the door of their apartment behind her and threw the keys onto the coffee table, she thought that maybe she could do some research of her own. Where would she start, though? She sank into the warm water and wondered where. Not the village archives- Naruto had that angle covered. Perhaps there was somebody around the village who knew- then it hit her. Hiashi, her father. He knew everything about the village. Perhaps he would know about the Cult, too. As she dressed in a pair of comfortable sleep pants and a blue shirt, she figured she would ask him tomorrow. She slipped into bed and took one last look at the marble sculpture Kiba had given them eight years ago. She turned it over on a whim and looked at the bottom. On it was engraved four letters.

B O T F

She never knew what it had stood for. Kiba said it was probably just a signature of the artist or something. He was probably right. She put the statue back on the night table and finally turned the lamp off. She lay there for a minute or two in the dark.

"Hello, Hinata."

She tried to scream but found her voice choked off.


	4. Depravity Of The Cult

An Unexpected Leader, Chapter IV

Naruto sat down in one of the four chairs surrounding the Hokage's desk- it was the only one available, as the others were occupied by Tsunade, Shizune, and Shikamaru. He made himself comfortable- if Kakashi's tone was any indication, they were in for a long discussion.

"All right then, Kakashi-sensei, what do we have to talk about?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Kakashi took time to pop each individual knuckle before responding. "Well, Naruto, I assume you came here because you wanted to take a look at the historical archives for the village." Naruto nodded confirmation. "Then we can safely presume from that that you've been contacted by the Hogosha branch of the Uchiha?"

Naruto only gave a confused look. "'Hogosha'? Are they the ones that Madara siphoned off from the village a long time ago? If they are, then yes, I have been contacted by them."

"Good," Kakashi said, scratching his chin. "We're on the same page, then. Yes, those were indeed the Hogosha. I'm sure they told you about the Cult of the Fox."

"They did, but they couldn't say any more at the time. Something about too many ears. I'm betting you've got info on them, though, huh?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.

"Clever. Yes, we do, but it's limited. All we know is their general purpose,a little bit of their history, their usual method of operation, the first name of the leader, and the approximate date of founding. I suppose you'll want them in order, so: one- their purpose is…well, they're actually kind of a religious group, as the 'cult' part of their title might imply. In fact, they were actually sort of the predecessors of the Akatsuki . However, the Akatsuki's goal, or rather Madara's goal, was to resurrect the Ten-Tails to cast a Tsukuyomi over everyone. The Cult's goal was, and is, the complete eradication of all biju, harnessing the power of the kyubi to do it. For some reason, they despise all of the Tailed Beasts _except _the kyubi; they worship him."

"The kyubi?" Naruto asked. "Why not the Ten-Tails?"

"As powerful as the Cult was, the Ten-Tails was beyond them; even they weren't as strong as the Sage of the Six Paths. If and when they capture the kyubi, they will demolish entire villages for the sake of killing a single host. They did this before, after the Sage split the Ten-Tails into nine beasts, but before Madara summoned the kyubi in his fight with the first Hokage."

"Wait a second," Naruto said. "You're saying they destroyed an entire village before? Why have I never heard of it?"

Kakashi sighed. "Because this was a long time ago, when the countries were still struggling for dominance. Dozens of small villages were destroyed in the chaos. The fact that one of them held a host was actually quite insignificant, and the records were soon lost."

"You said that they meant to destroy the beasts, right? So did they fail? As far as I know, there are still nine of them hanging around."

Kakashi nodded. "The village was destroyed, but the vessel that held the beast was spirited away. In fact, the village was located in the Land of Wind, and the sealed beast was relocated to none other than what would become the Hidden Sand Village."

Naruto's eyes grew wide as realization dawned. "So what you're saying is…that the beast that the Cult almost destroyed was the Shukaku? The one that was later implanted into Gaara?"

"That's the one,"Kakashi confirmed. "Once the village was destroyed, however, the leaders of the Cult fell to infighting, and their hold on the kyubi weakened; that's when he escaped. He wasn't spotted again until Madara tried to defeat the First Hokage."

Naruto was silent for a second. "Hold on. If all this happened to kyubi, then why doesn't he remember any of it? He himself said that he had no idea who the Cult was."

Here Tsunade interrupted. "Well, Naruto, to control the kyubi, they'd have to use an incredibly powerful jutsu, one that put him completely under their command. He would have no free will. Affecting his decision-making capabilities like that would almost certainly alter the portion of his brain that controlled memory processing."

After a second, Naruto laughed. "Kyubi's angry now. He wants to know if you're saying he's brain-damaged!"

Tsunade scratched the back of her head. "Um, no, but he _was_ when he was under their control."

Naruto settled down. "Okay, we've got purpose and history down for the Cult of the Fox. What about leader and method of operation?"

Kakashi cleared his throat. "As I said, we only have the leader's first name; we don't even have a description of what he looks like. His first name is Naginata. Their standard method of operation is kidnappings and interrogations as to locations of hosts."

Naruto swallowed. "What happens after they're done with the interrogations?"

Shikamaru slowly shook his head. "Don't ask, Naruto. Don't ask."

"Is that all you have on the Cult of the Fox?" Naruto asked after a brief silence.

"Pretty much," Kakashi affirmed.

"Then I want to know about the Hogosha Uchiha."

Kakashi sighed. "A long story…Where to start? Well, first, there was-"

A nameless ANBU agent burst through the door. "Naruto-san! Lord Kakashi! There's an altercation at Naruto's house!About a dozen people have attacked it; it seems they're aiming at a kidnapping!"

Naruto's gut froze over. No. Now wasn't the time for fear; now was the time for white-hot action. He leapt up from his seat. "I can't let her…!" He couldn't finish the sentence.

"Don't worry, Naruto,"Tsunade said. "We're on our way. Get going!"

He didn't need any more prompting. He dashed out of the office and leapt over the railing ten feet onto the ground, hitting the ground running. His arms extended behind him, he blistered through the dark town, willing his body to move faster, faster, _faster!_

_ You need my help?_ Kyubi asked.

"I just might," Naruto growled.

In under five minutes, Naruto was at the entrance to his apartment. The lights were on, the door was open, and the whole place was a mess. He could hear sounds of a struggle within.

"No!" he heard Hinata scream, and his throat constricted.

"No, they won't!" he snarled, storming into the room. In the middle, and throughout the three adjoining rooms, there were eight men in red cloaks fighting with as many ANBU soldiers.

"Naruto-san! The bedroom!"one yelled. "Quickly!"

He nodded, pivoting on his heel and leaping through the doorway. There he saw Hinata trying to fend off three of the red-cloaked men at the same time. She rolled under one blow and slammed her palm into his stomach, forcing him back and making him stumble. As she leapt up, she took a blow to the throat that left her gasping and choking on the floor.

"Get away from her!" Naruto raged, slamming his fist into one of the men's faces. He went down on the ground, unconscious, his face a bloody mess. Instinctively staying between the men and Hinata, he drew the katana that the Doctor had given him. Howling like a beast, he dodged a kunai thrust from one man and skewered him on Madara's katana. Hot blood ran down the blade, and Naruto flung the man off. He glared at the third man like a demon.

"Get out before I kill you," he growled gutturally. The man didn't seem inclined to do so. Instead, he drew a long, slender sword longer than Madara's katana and got into a fighting stance.

"I guess we've got to do this the hard way, then." Naruto leapt forward and swung the katana-it was like the sword had a mind of its own. The man blocked with an armored gauntlet and thrust his own sword at Naruto. He sidestepped the blade, pulling his own sword back. The man ducked low and tried to sweep Naruto's feet out from under him, which proved to be the last mistake he'd ever make. Naruto dived toward the man and clutched his throat ferociously with one hand. Lifting him off the ground, Naruto stood up.

"The Cult sent you, didn't they? Well? Answer me!"

The man only grinned painfully, then spit a glob of bloody saliva in Naruto's face. He didn't flinch; he only tightened his grip until he heard the lethal _crack_ of a breaking neck. He threw the corpse on the ground, then wiped off his face. He rushed over to where Hinata was lying, still gasping slightly.

He quickly pulled her up next beside him. In the other room he could hear guttural cries of "Retreat!" come from the Cultists. Naruto cradled Hinata's head in his arm.

"Are you okay, Hinata-chan?" he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "Speak to me…please!"

She took one look at him, then gripped his coat and sobbed into it until her cries were nothing but short gasps of air. Naruto put his arms around her and squeezed for what seemed like eternity.

End Chapter IV

**P.S. Sorry that the explanation was so convoluted. I had a lot to put down about the Cult. Trust me when I say you'll learn more about them in the future- and the Hogosha Uchiha as well!**


	5. A Brief Respite

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to post chapter five. I've been caught up in preparing for my freshman year of college. I finally forced myself to write it, though, so with no further delay, I present…**

An Unexpected Leader, Chapter V

A Brief Respite

Naruto clutched Hinata close to him as her breathing slowly returned to normal. Several ANBU agents swarmed the room, gathering the bodies that piled on the floor.

Dragon, the agent with the reptile's mask, put his fingers on the throat of the man that Naruto had smashed in the face. Even with the mask on, his shock was visible.

"We've got a live one!" he said, waving the others over. "Falcon, take this guy to Ibiki, see if he can get any information out of him." Falcon slung the man over his shoulder and dashed out.

After doing an initial cleaning of the room, Dragon tapped Naruto on the shoulder.

"Naruto-san," he said, "You mustn't stay here, at least for tonight. We need to get a forensics team in here to see if they can garner any clues. We'll get a room prepared for you near the Hokage's quarters, well-guarded."

Naruto looked down. "Will…will you need to question Hinata-chan as well?"

Dragon shrugged. "We might, if the forensics team doesn't find anything useful, but for right now, no. I've been ordered to escort you to your temporary quarters. If you'll come with me…"

Naruto put an arm around Hinata's shoulder to support her. Slowly, they followed Dragon for about twenty minutes to a plain-looking hotel room next to the Hokage's office. Dragon unlocked the door and ushered them in.

"We'll give you a call in the morning, Naruto-san, Hinata-san. We have several guards staked out, so you needn't worry about safety. I…must be going now." Dragon bowed slightly to the two of them, and slithered out of the room, closing the door after himself.

Naruto sat on the bed with Hinata. "Are you all right?" he asked again.

"I…I'm fine, Naruto-kun," she replied, massaging her throat. "It wasn't a hard enough blow to damage any soft tissue. It won't even hurt for much longer."

Naruto wrapped an arm around her. "All right then…" He took a look at her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there in time…If I had just been a little faster…"

This time, Hinata put both her hands on his shoulders. "No, Naruto-kun. You did what you could, and you saved me from falling to the Cult. You can't feel guilty. I won't let you," she added with a kiss.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Okay," he replied. After a beat, he said, "I think we'd better clean off, though. Fighting off a bloodthirsty hoard of cultists sure does work up a sweat, huh?"

Hinata only smiled gently.

The bathroom was filled with a thick fog of steam, with a giant white stone bath tub that looked more like a miniature pond in the center. Naruto sank into the water until it just touched his chin, then looked over at Hinata, who was fully reclined with her head tilted back, letting her dark blue hair drift in the hot water.

Naruto edged over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hinata-chan…What happened tonight…it made me think. What would we do if the Cult attacked again? Can we really protect ourselves from them?"

Hinata looked quizzically at him. "You seemed to do a good enough job of it tonight."

"And you held them off, too. But I'm sure that eleven shinobi don't represent the true strength of the Cult. Next time, they'll send more after us, and if that doesn't work, they'll throw a few more, and more, and more, and…" He put his head on her chest. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. Just the adrenaline leaving my system, I guess. I guess what I'm getting at is that…I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you because I wasn't strong enough or fast enough or I don't know what."

She put a hand on his hand. "You don't need to worry, Naruto-kun. I mean, sure, that could happen, but what can you do? Shirk your duties? Guard me twenty-four seven? You can't and you know it. What you can do is teach me, and trust me. Trust that I know how to fight." She took an amused look at him. "And you _know_ that I can fight. I've beaten you more than once when we sparred."

After a second, he looked up and smiled. "Yeah, you're right, Hinata-chan. I needed a talk like that. I…thank you." He kissed her lightly on the lips as he moved his hand down her back. They were still for several minutes, as if there were nothing outside of the steam-filled room.

Abruptly, Hinata said, "Naruto-kun, I…I know your thoughts on children…but I…I was wondering if, maybe, you'd changed your mind…"

Naruto did a double take. "Where did that come from?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

Hinata's face turned a deep crimson, more so than from the steam. "I…I don't know, to be honest…"

Naruto scratched his chin. "Well...normally, I would say that I don't want children, because of financial considerations, but I guess I can't go with that argument any more, since I've been given a few promotions. I guess… " He looked alluringly at her. "I guess I can't argue with you."

Hinata blinked a few times. "Wait…then…you mean…"

Naruto grinned. "So what were you thinking of naming him? I mean, it's a bit early for naming and all, but hey, you can't get too much of a head start, right?"

Hinata said nothing for a second, then hugged Naruto tightly. "How about Minato?"

Minato. His father's name. "Yeah," he replied, chuckling. "Minato would be great."

For a while, time stood still.

Naruto lay on his back, hands behind his head. "You know, Hinata-chan, I've been meaning to ask you. How'd it all go down tonight? What exactly happened?"

She turned to look at him. "Well…after I left Ichiraku and went home, I took a shower and got into bed. A few minutes later, someone said 'Hello, Hinata', and grabbed me. I tried to yell, but they had their hand over my mouth. When I activated my Byakugan, I could see that there were eleven of them, and that they were crowded in our room. One of them was taking the statue that Kiba gave us at the wedding."

"The one that showed me carrying you?" Naruto said.

She nodded. "Just the one. I have no clue why they would take it, but I wasn't in a position to ask at the time. After I saw that, I bit whoever's hand was over my mouth and threw him over my shoulder at one of the others- they both went down. I ran past them into the living room, but they had the door blocked off. He was a really mean-looking guy, must have been six-foot two and two hundred fifty pounds. I tried to shove him out of the way with my Gentle Fist, but that was when they got to me from behind. By this time, I heard someone scream outside- I guess that they had seen what was going on. I knew that if I could hold them off for just a few minutes that the ANBU would be there. I guess all those sparring sessions I did with you helped me with that."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. " So the ANBU come in, they give you some help, then I get word of it all and come dashing to the rescue."

She nodded." Exactly. I take a punch to the throat, we get a free trip to a high-security hotel room."

Naruto sighed. "Okay, but I don't understand why they would take the sculpture. I mean, what do they need with it? It's not like it's a piece of some massive puzzle or something."

Hinata shook her head. " I don't know. What I do know is that both of us are safe and sound, and happily together again."

Naruto chuckled. "Can't argue with that, I suppose. Tomorrow, Sasuke's hawk will be around, and I can give him a message about everything that's happened. For tonight, though…" he gazed into her lavender eyes.

She blushed. "So…Minato, then?"

He nodded. "Minato."

Not another word was spoken about the incident for the rest of the night.


	6. News And Information

An Unexpected Leader, Chapter VI

Cold November sunlight streamed out between grey clouds through the window of the hotel room, forcing Naruto out of his blissful slumber. Compunding this was the fact that a large black hawk was standing on the window ledge, pecking loudly at the glass.

Naruto groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "That bird, I swear. He can find us anywhere!" The bird continued knocking its beak. "Yeah, yeah, Yuichi, I'm coming." He gently extricated himself from Hinata's arms and made his way over to the closet, where the ANBU had provided them both with a few changes of clothes. He put on a black, long-sleeved shirt and pants of the same color, with the traditional chuunin/jonin vest over it, Yuichi practically begging for attention the entire time.

When he had left, Sasuke had said that he would send a message every other day, but that hadn't lasted long. Soon it was every three days, then four, and so on until it turned into every week. There it had stayed, Yuichi the hawk delivering an update every Saturday morning, usually too early for Naruto's liking. Still, he bore no ill will toward the bird, even occasionally looking forward to his wake-up calls. He plodded over and opened the window, shivering at the gust of cold wind that accompanied it. He held out his arm and Yuichi perched neatly on it- Naruto quickly closed the window. Looking on the bird's left leg, he saw the usual large strip of paper in a plastic case tied with a long black ribbon.

"So whaddya have for me this time, Yuichi?" Naruto asked as he untied the paper and took it in his hand. He let Yuichi flutter onto the coat rack as Naruto tossed a chunk of meat he had retrieved from the pre-stocked refrigerator and watched as the bird vigorously wolfed it down. Unfurling the note he had taken, Naruto sat down on the bed.

_Naruto,_

_ I'm just writing to tell you that Sakura and I are fine. It's a funny story about her, though. After eight years of being a roaming the world, I think she's forgotten how to settle down. I remember how at your wedding, when I told Sakura that I was leaving, she was furious. She absolutely would not let me go alone. Apparently, I was the only one that didn't feel how deeply she loved me. I mean, I knew it, but it wasn't until I realized what I had done, how many people I had wrongly killed, and seeing that Sakura still loved me enough to follow me that I understood how unconditionally she loved me. It was…actually, it reminded me of the way you said you thought of me as a brother when we fought at the Valley of the End. She had the same look in her eye that you did, that she knew what I had done, and that she didn't care. But now I'm rambling, ha ha. Another thing I wanted to tell you was that…I think that it's time Sakura and I found a permanent home- that's why I said at the beginning of the letter that I thought it was funny that she had forgotten how to live in a single place. You might be asking why I think we should settle down, and…well, I'll just tell you right out. Sakura's pregnant. _

Naruto nearly choked when he read that, but apparently Hinata was sleeping the slumber of the dead and she didn't hear him.

_I don't know if you and Hinata have had children yet, but let me tell you, I'm feeling really scared right now. I mean really scared. I have no idea if I could be a father. Maybe you have some advice for me, heh. But…I was hoping that there would be a place back for us in Konoha. I've built up a pretty decent sum of cash being a sword-for-hire, and I could buy a nice house, get reacquainted with everyone again. I…really want to see everyone again. Well, that's all I wanted to say, I guess. You know you can ask me for anything if you need it. _

_ Your friend and brother,_

_ Sasuke Uchiha_

Naruto stared at the page for a while, letting what Sasuke had written soak in. Sasuke, a father? And before him, no less. Sure, Naruto knew a few of his friends had become parents in the past ten years- Neji had married Tenten and they had two daughters, Usagi and Shizuka, both of whom were shaping up to be very proficient in using their Byakugan. Shikamaru had worked up the motivation to date Temari for a few years before marrying her and having a son less than four months ago- they had named him Ichiro Nara. Heck, even Kakashi had finally popped the question to Anko Mitarashi, who had a healthy four-year old son, one Daisuke Hatake. Naruto himself, however, had never given thought to being a parent, mostly because he had always said he didn't want children. Now, though, with the talk he and Hinata had had the night before, he was forced to think ahead-not that he didn't like the prospect. After a few minutes of silence, he rustled around on the desk for a sheet of paper and a pen. He sat down in the chair and began to compose his response.

_Sasuke and Sakura,_

_ Imagine my shock when I heard that you were going to be parents! Believe me when I say I couldn't be happier for you two. Sorry that I can't offer you any parental advice- you'll have children before Hinata-chan and I do. About your housing situation, though- I want you to know that you're welcome here any time at all. Just make sure to tell us when so we can meet you at the gate! On a more serious note, though…I need your help, Sasuke. The entire village might need you. If "the Cult of the Fox" doesn't ring a bell to you...well, you're not alone. There's hardly anybody who knows who they are, but from what I've seen and been told, they're a ruthless religious group that wants to use the kyuubi inside of me to destroy every other tailed beast out there. They're willing to destroy entire villages just to get to them. Hinata-chan was attacked the night before I'm writing this- the ANBU and I barely managed to keep her from being kidnapped. I was honestly frightened for her life. I'm asking that you come back as soon as possible, to help defend the village against the further attacks of the Cult. Also…a clan called the Hogosha contacted me yesterday afternoon, saying that they were a long-lost faction of the Uchiha set aside by Madara himself before the village was founded, for the purpose of protecting the village from the Cult. They wanted me to lead them, but I think you'd be a more suitable head for them, honestly. You know how you said I can ask you if I need anything? Well, I'm calling that favor in now. I'm asking you- come back to the village and help me, please. I'm sure you'll be a great dad, and Sakura will be a wonderful mother. I beg of you, though- be quick; I don't know where or when the Cult will strike next, and the next time could be the last for Hinata-chan and me._

_ Your friend and brother,_

_ Naruto Uzumaki_

"I'm surprised to hear that Sakura's pregnant," Hinata said; that was when Naruto realized she was standing right behind him, still in her sleep pants and long-sleeved flannel shirt.

"You saw the note?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think it's funny that we're behind the game. With children, I mean."

Naruto shook his head. "Not behind the game, just fashionably late." He stood up and got Yuichi to hop onto his arm again as he tied the message in the plastic case to the bird's leg. "Okay, Yuichi, you know where to go." He opened the window. "Off you go, then." Yuichi flapped his wings and soared off to the east until he was nothing but a black speck against the cloudy morning sky.

"Okay, then. Now that that's done, I have a feeling there's something I should be doing, but…I can't remember what it is."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Naruto opened it and saw-

"Salutations once again, Lord Uzumaki," the Doctor said, bowing. Today, he wore a simple dark blue set of pants and a deep red shirt. This time, he was alone.

"Um, hi again," Naruto replied. "Where are the Owl and the Bard?"

"They were unavoidably detained, I'm sorry to say," the Doctor replied. "They had business with the Hogosha Council. I, however, convinced them that my visit to you was more urgent than the bureaucracy of the clan."

Naruto blinked. "Hey, Doctor…you know that we were attacked by the Clan last night, don't you?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, m'lord, I am aware of that. It is the reason that I came earlier than I intended. I wished to check if you and Lady Hinata were unharmed. I can see that this is fortunately the case."

"Well," Naruto said, "_unharmed_ might not be the right word, but we're alive, anyway."

"Indeed," the Doctor agreed. "However, the purpose of my visit is an informational one. I have been ordered to escort you, as well as Lady Hinata, to the Land of Fire Hogosha headquarters. There you will learn all you need to know about the Cult as well as the Hogosha."

"I'd love to," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head, "but I feel certain that the Hokage and the ANBU wouldn't let me or Hinata anywhere out of the village after what happened last night.

"That's where I come in," came a voice from outside, as Kakashi walked in, dressed in the traditional jonin vest he had always worn, even after becoming Hokage. "I've already given orders to the Black Ops soldiers to give the Doctor free reign when it comes to you. We've been in contact with the Hogosha for a while, and they've proven themselves trustworthy enough to take you for a briefing session."

"How far is your headquarters, Doctor?" Hinata asked him after taking her gaze from Kakashi.

"The Hogosha headquarters in the Land of Fire is about two and a half hours from here. Ideally, you would be staying overnight, so I would suggest you pack well."

"I suggest you take him up on the offer, Naruto," Kakashi said. "A soak in the bath of knowledge the Hogosha have would help prepare you against the Cult."

Naruto was silent for a second, then grinned. "All right then, Doctor. Give us a few minutes to pack, and we'll meet you at the door!"

Approximately twenty minutes later, Naruto and Hinata had a pair of hiking packs slung over their shoulders and plodded to the entrance. "We're all set, Doctor," Hinata said. "Let's go!"

Kakashi had already left, so the Doctor was the only one there. He nodded. "Gladly," he replied. As they took the first steps out through the village, the Doctor turned to them and smiled enigmatically. "And, by the way, I believe I can trust you with my real name. You can call me Akira Uchiha."

"You really trust us that much, Akira-san?" Hinata asked quizzically.

Akira shrugged. "I really don't have much choice, really. If I can't trust you, then we've no hope anyway. We have to go forward as though we know that you are absolutely trustworthy, Lord Uzumaki. Some members of the Council do not trust that you are capable of leading the Hogosha, as you are not Uchiha by birth." He turned and walked backwards. "I, on the other hand, have utmost faith in you, as do the Owl and the Bard, or should I say, Isamu and Daichi."

Naruto swallowed. "Wow. You…really believe that I can capably lead your clan? I mean, it's always been my dream to be Hokage, but still…I don't know if I can do it."

Akira turned back around. "A very long time ago, when Lord Madara became the head of the Uchiha clan, he also thought that he would be unable to effectively lead us. Of course, he was wrong. I believe it will be the same with you, Lord Uzumaki."

As they passed the city gates, Naruto scratched his head. "Hold on. You're talking like you knew Madara personally when he was chosen to be the leader. But that's impossible, right? I mean, you'd have to be, what, sixty? Seventy? You look like you're twenty."

Akira chuckled. "I may look twenty years old, Lord Uzumaki. In fact, I am ninety-five years old, eighty-five if anyone besides you is asking."

Naruto did a double take. "Ninety-f-f-five?" he stuttered. "You're kidding, right? I mean, there's no way you can be ninety-five. Heh heh, you had me going pretty good there for a little bit."

"I jest not, Lord Uzumaki. I am indeed ninety-five years old. Before you can ask how that's possible, let me tell you that it all has to do with the location in which Lord Madara founded the Hogosha. Such is the mingling of chakra, various minerals in the rocks, and the hot springs that it extends the occupant's life by as much as fivefold. In effect, I am only eighteen "normal" years old. However, for some reason, it only applies to the Uchiha and those chosen by the Uchiha. To others, few though there have been within the Hogosha headquarters, it is nothing more than a relaxing bath."

Naruto blinked. " 'Those chosen by the Uchiha'…" he repeated blankly. "What does being "chosen" by the Uchiha entail?"

"Nothing much," Akira replied. "We make a small cut on your upper arm, about an inch long, take a vial of Uchiha blood donated by one of the elders, and mix the blood into the cut. It makes you Uchiha hematologically, if not genetically. It's enough to be affected by the springs."

"But what about blood types?" Hinata asked. "If the blood you mix with ours doesn't match, we could have a deadly autoimmune attack."

Akira shook his head slowly. "Not to worry," he said. "We have a very reliable blood-testing site, and between all of our members, every blood type is accounted for- O, AB, positive, negative, you name it. We did this before Lord Madara, as well. In fact, we've been doing this for well over three hundred years. It's down to a science, really."

Naruto shrugged. "This is all too much for me right now. What say we cross that bridge when we get to it, and just stick to what we can see right now. For example…why are there several burnt patches of grass here?"

"That's not grass!" Akira hurriedly said. "That's-"

"Perceptive, aren't you, host?" a bass voice said as one of the burnt patches morphed into the form of a tall man with blood-red hair that fell to his shoulders and jet-black eyes. He wore a pair of goggles around his neck and had on a white shirt with a loose brown leather jacket over it.

"You're-!" Akira exclaimed before being cut off by the man.

He shrugged. "Right you are, little Akira. My name is Naginata of the Cult of the Fox. And I'm here to make sure that Naruto here complies with us to achieve our glorious goal!"

"The leader of the Cult!" Naruto hissed between his teeth, shifting into a battle stance. "What makes you think I'll join you?"

"Why wouldn't you?" he replied. "Don't you believe that the Tailed Beasts are a blight on this land? Don't you think that it would be best for everyone if they were wiped off the face of the planet?"

"No!" Naruto shouted back. "I don't! They might be destructive when they're uncommanded, but if they have a host that they can identify with, that they can bond with, they're just as capable as you and me of emotion and consciousness! Just ask me or Killer Bee! They're sentients, and I won't let you kill them."

Naginata shook his head slowly and sighed. "Oh, dear, they've gotten to you, haven't they? Still, it's no worry. You'll be coming with us, whether you wish it or not." He held up a single index finger high in the air. "Men! Capture formation Delta!"

Instantly, the other burnt patches of grass morphed as Naginata himself had done. All together, there were eight of them, and their leader. They spread out into a flanking formation around the three of them, each wielding slender double-edged swords that looked of foreign make.

Akira looked distressed. "Lord Uzumaki! Lady Hinata! I'll take care of the grunts as quickly as possible, but you must at all cost prevent Naginata from escaping! Don't underestimate him, whatever you do!"

Naruto nodded, crossing his hands in the sign he used for his shadow clone jutsu. "Let's go, Hinata-chan!" he said, grinning.

"Yes," she agreed firmly, veins around her eyes becoming more prominent as blood flow increased to her Byakugan. She put her left foot forward, doing the same with her hand.

Naginata laughed. "Keep me from escaping?" he laughed, disappearing. "How naïve." He reappeared right beside Naruto, wielding a long spear tipped with a curved blade. "I'd focus more on staying alive! After all, we can extract the Kyubi from you even if you're dead!" He thrust the spear through Naruto's midsection. The fox host hissed in pain, and fell to the ground as Naginata pulled his spear out of Naruto's stomach.

"Pitiful," Naginata said. "Simply pitiful. A host shouldn't be so weak as to be defeated by a single bl-urk!" He choked as Naruto's forearm came around Naginata's throat, putting him in a chokehold. The shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"And the leader of a powerful cult shouldn't be fooled so easily by a shadow clone," Naruto said, grappling the man. Another clone dropped out of one of the trees, and a whizzing, spinning sphere of chakra formed in his palm. Dashing toward Naginata, the clone thrust his hand forward.

"Rasengan!" he shouted, slamming into Naginata's chest…only to have him dissolve into a pile of mud in Naruto's arms.

"A substitution!" Naruto growled, whirling around to maximize his line of sight. Naginata appeared in the air right behind him, arms back to prepare for a slash attack at Naruto's head. Naruto flattened his body to the ground, and Naginata's spear missed the crown of his skull by a scant few inches. Flipping up, Naruto slammed his head into the pit of Naginata's stomach, making him inhale sharply. Hinata grabbed him by the throat and flung him up into the air, where another Naruto clone leapt out of the tree and raised his leg to kick Naginata to the ground. However, before he got the chance, Naginata's right arm- the one not holding his spear- suddenly extended to six feet, punching the clone in the gut. He latched on to a branch nearby and swung to end up standing on top of it.

Naruto swore. "Did he just-"

"Poor, uninformed little host. Don't you know that we of the cult have complete mastery of our bodies? I can make my arm six feet long, or make my hand into a claw capable of slicing a diamond in half! You haven't a chance!" Naginata cried with an evil grin on his face.

The grin left his face when Hinata slammed a Gentle Fist palm into the side of his head, knocking him off balance and scrambling his nervous system.

At least, that was how it was supposed to work. As Naginata stumbled to a halt on the edge of the branch, he sneered at Hinata. "What part of 'complete mastery over the body' don't you understand, girl? I can easily keep my nervous system together after a weak attack like that."

"Then how about this!" Naruto yelled, cranking his arm back before jackhammering into the base of the tree. When he looked up, Hinata could see that his eyes were those of a toad- Sage Mode. She leapt over to the trunk of the next tree, sliding down the smooth bark to the ground as the other tree toppled to the ground with a mighty crack. Naginata flipped into the air and thrust his spear down, down, down at Naruto's head-

When Naruto caught the curved tip between his hands, swinging it and Naginata at the end in a wide arc and flinging him into the air. Before he landed, Hinata made a rapid sequence of handsigns before lightly tapping Naruto with a single finger on either side of his head.

"Gentle Fist, Art of Sensory Enhancement!"

A thin blue aura of chakra burned around Naruto's body, and he twitched his head impossibly fast to look where Naginata had landed. As fast as Sage Mode had made Naruto's reflexes, Hinata's jutsu had sped them up even further by putting his nerves directly under his control.

Crouching, Naginata prepared to leap upward-

But before he could, Naruto was behind him, slamming a fist into the side of his face, sending him flying horizontal to the ground. His arm, however, extended to remain exactly where it was, grabbing Naruto by the throat and dragging him along- straight toward a handful of six-inch long fingers transformed into deadly claws.

"Lord Uzumaki!" he heard Akira cry. "The sword! Throw it to me!"

Having no time to think, Naruto quickly snatched the sheath off his belt and tossed Madara's katana to Akira, who immediately swung it in a short swipe, severing Naginata's arm at the shoulder. He followed it up with a decapitating slash to the throat. Naruto tumbled onto the ground, as did Naginata's severed head- it bounced a few more times than him, though.

Breathing heavily as he left Sage mode and the effects of Hinata's jutsu wore off, he took a look at Naginata's head. After a few seconds, both it and his body were enveloped in a cloud of grey smoke.

"A clone?" Naruto gasped.

Akira shook his head. "Not a clone…a surrogate body. The real Naginata must have taken a portion of his chakra and remodeled the entire body of one of his followers to look, act and fight exactly like him."

"Yeah, I saw the same type of thing when I fought Itachi on the way to Sunagakure," Naruto said.

"Regardless," Akira replied, "We must be going quickly. The Hogosha headquarters is a s secure if not more so than the village."

As Naruto and Hinata slung their packs over their shoulder, Akira sighed.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…" he breathed as they dashed ahead.


	7. A Breach of Security

An Unexpected Leader, Chapter VII

A Breach of Security

Akira led them off the faint dirt trail that wound through the forest, taking them directly into the nigh-on impenetrable brush that blocked most of the line of sight.

"Lord Uzumaki, Lady Hinata, I must ask that you close your eyes for the next few minutes," Akira said, pushing his way through a thicket of leaves.

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Is it some sort of security procedure? We can't know where we're going, is that it?"

Akira shook his head. "Well, it _is _a security measure, though not of the sort you are referring to. In fact, I have to close my eyes as well, or we'd never find the headquarters of the Hogosha. You see, long ago, Lord Madara set up a chakra field around here that will deceive the eyes of even the most powerful shinobi. So we don't find our way with our eyes."

"We find it with our nose," Hinata filled in, nodding slowly, her eyes shut. "There's a scent out here that only one looking for it would smell. The scent of burned wood."

"Burned wood?" Naruto said, scratching his head as he followed Hinata's lead and sniffing. "Yeah, I smell it, but what's burnt wood got to do with anything?"

Akira chuckled. "I should think you would know, Lord Uzumaki, having done battle with so many Uchiha in the past. The specialty of the Uchiha clan is _katon_, or fire style. Therefore, we have the scent of burning, or rather burnt, wood as a sign of the Uchiha. As I said before, do _not _under any circumstances open your eyes."

Naruto nodded behind his closed eyes. What was the worst that could happen if he did open his eyes? It was tempting, but ultimately he knew that Akira wouldn't tell them to do something if it wasn't in their best interests- he kept them closed for what seemed like ages, following the sounds of Akira's footsteps and the growing-stronger smell of charcoal.

"Stop," Akira finally said. "You can open your eyes now."

Naruto did so, and an involuntary gasp escaped from between his lips. No longer were they in a dense forest. Now they were standing on top of what looked to be almost a square mile of pure black obsidian, so singularly dark it was almost reflective. The sun beat down on them, heating the rock to temperatures where it wouldn't be safe to stand on it bare-footed. He saw Akira searching the ground intently for something Naruto couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Ah!" he finally exclaimed, stopping at a spot approximately twenty feet from where they were standing. He tapped his foot three times against the stone, waited about ten seconds, then tapped three times again. There was a resounding _clunk_ somewhere underneath them, and slowly, a square chunk of rock slowly receded into a grooved chamber, revealing a winding set of stairs underneath.

"Quickly, quickly," Akira urged them, ushering them down the stairs. "It's imperative that we spend as little time above ground as possible."

They descended into the darkness, linking hands so as not to lose their way.

"You want me to what?" Shikamaru asked, the muscles around his eyes tightening slightly. "You know that she's been thought dead for over twenty years. Why would you want us to go looking for her now, when there's no proof she's even alive?"

Kakashi sighed. Even though he still wore the jonin flak jacket that he had before, he had finally taken off the face mask, revealing a stunningly ordinary face, though he always seemed to have a layer of short, grey whiskers along his jaw line. "Look, Shikamaru, I have it from good sources that she's been sighted somewhere in the Land of Wind. Whether I trust those sources or not is up to me. Believe me, if I thought there wasn't a significant chance you could find her, I wouldn't be sending you. Plus, she would be very helpful in the upcoming battle against the Cult."

Shikamaru looked as if he was going to argue, then thought better of it. "Yes, Lord Hokage," he said, bowing. "If I may gather a squad of four, I'll get on it."

"Permission granted," Kakashi replied, waving a hand in the air. "If I could ask, who are the three you're going to take?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes for a few moments, evidently deep in thought, calculating strengths and weaknesses. "Okay," he said, looking at Kakashi. "The three will be Neji, for his combat skill and Byakugan, Kiba and Akamaru for their tracking abilities, and Tenten, for her proficiency with traps and tools."

Kakashi nodded. "Good, good. Nice to know that your skill assessments haven't dulled."

Shikamaru shook his head slightly. "Uh…thank you. I'd…better get them together, then." With that, he began to walk out of the room.

"Oh, and Shikamaru?" Kakashi called after him. "Say hi to Temari and Ichiro for me."

Shikamaru put a hand up behind him. "Can do," he replied.

Akira led them down the dark stairway for what felt like an eternity but was in reality probably no longer than half an hour. They rounded a corner after they were on level ground again a came into a gargantuan room filled with row upon row of giant obsidian pillars. A faint smoky light came from the flames of several hundred torches suspended on the pillars.

"Whoa…" Naruto said, awestruck. He craned his head far back to gaze at the reflective black ceiling.

"This…This is amazing, Akira-san," Hinata agreed.

"Isn't it, though?" came a voice from ahead of them. All three looked and saw a tall, brown-haired man in what appeared to be an earth-colored suit with black tennis shoes. Certainly an outfit to take notice of, especially here in the east. "I just love it! Don't you, Rose?"

A girl slightly shorter than the man stepped out from behind him, nodding. "Yeah," she replied. "It really is. I don't get why there's such a large deposit of obsidian way out here."

The man apparently took no further notice of Naruto, Hinata and Akira. "Well, yeah, but I mean- look at it! Seven thousand years into the future, a massive cataclysm forces well over ninety percent of humanity to flee into space, and bang! Human history changes in a split second, the few remaining humans have to adapt to the new wasteland over the next three thousand years. And they do it! Oh, humans, you do it so beautifully! You're absolutely brilliant, you know that?"

Naruto was slightly taken aback by the man. "Uh…hi," he said tentatively, extending a hand. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh!" the man said. "Sorry. I'm the Doctor. Nice to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki, and I already know Akira here, but who's your lovely companion?"

"That would be Hinata," Naruto replied slowly. He turned to Akira. "I thought the Doctor was _your _codename, Akira."

"Oh, it's not a codename," the Doctor replied. "Akira here apparently thought it sounded good and he stole it from me. Not that I'm sore or anything."

"Right," Rose added. "Because you're never sore about anything, even that one incident with the Duchess of Silfraxus Nine and her pet-"

"Hey, that doesn't count," the Doctor quickly interjected. "I wasn't exactly myself. Let me tell you, it was weird being on a leash. But never mind that, we've got-" A low rumble reverberated from somewhere below them. "Oops, forget that. Sorry, you three, we have a …a thing to deal with…a very big thing …with scales. Come on, Rose!" He dashed off into the darkness, the girl trailing behind him.

"Well," Naruto said. "He was certainly…different."

Akira laughed. "Yes, that he is. We really don't know exactly who he is, but he's been visiting here off and on for well over a year."

Naruto shook his head. "Well, never mind that. Where were we on the tour of the base?"

Akira cleared his throat. "Well…you see, I won't be able to give you the go-around, because I have to report back to the council. You two will have to go on ahead of me- I've already arranged for an escort. She should be getting her right about- ah, here we are."

From between the pillars, a woman who looked about thirty years old sauntered out, dressed in a western-style business suit with a skirt that cut off about three inches above her knees. She had jet black hair pulled into a ponytail that hung down to her shoulders. Naruto forced himself not to stare below her neckline-it was tough.

"Hello," she said casually. "My name is Hitomi Uchiha. I am to be your guide for today. If you'll follow me…"

Naruto clasped Hinata's hand tightly. _Married, married, married…_he had to remind himself. "All right…"he said slowly. "Where to first?"

Hitomi regarded him coolly. "First, I will be showing you the leader's quarters. Though not all on the council agree that you should lead us, there is no doubt that you are the one who defeated Lord Madara, and therefore you are necessarily qualified. Nobody here will disobey the orders of Lord Madara."

"The leader's quarters, huh?" Naruto said. "Who's been using them since I killed Madara?"

"Nobody," she replied. "It has been vacant, though it is cleaned often. I believe you will find it satisfactory."

"Then, please, Hitomi-san," Hinata said. "Lead us."

They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached a narrow corridor that opened up into a vast mess hall, about twenty-five hundred feet square. There were several long, wooden tables that could easily seat a hundred each. Currently, there were only a few people eating under the electric lights.

"Ooh, food!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm starving!"

Hitomi sighed. "I am sorry, Lord Uzumaki, but lunch will have to wait for now. We have more urgent matters at the moment. Such as getting you settled in for your stay here."

Naruto groaned quietly. "Oh, all right."

Hinata chuckled. Naruto never stopped thinking about food, even when there were world-shaking events happening.

As they were led into a hallway that ended in a solid oak door, Naruto scratched his chin. "That's it, isn't it?" he asked. "That's the leader's quarters."

Hitomi nodded. "Yes, Lord Uzumaki, it is."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's go!" He took off running full tilt toward the door

Hitomi looked at Hinata strangely. "Is he always like this?" she asked.

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty energetic. He almost never stops."

Hitomi almost imperceptibly grimaced. "Oh, dear," she murmured under her breath. "We'll need to get this over quickly, then." She smiled politely again. "Shall we follow him, Lady Hinata?

She nodded, and they went after Naruto until they finally got to the door. Hitomi opened it and all three walked in. They found themselves in a white-painted room about a hundred feet square, lit with hanging overhead lights, furnished with dark brown mahogany chairs and a thick brown rug. Naruto could see several adjoining rooms- a bathroom that looked just as large as this room, and a bedroom that was painted grey.

"Wow," Hinata breathed. "This is amazing, Hitomi-san. Is it really where we're going to be staying?"

The door slammed behind them, and Hitomi suddenly had a wickedly sharp dagger clutched in her hand. "Yes, it is, _Lady _Hinata and _Lord_ Uzumaki," she said contemptuously. "It is. Permanently_._"

**So how's about that? Eh? Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I promise I'll write more in the future. Please don't stop reading just because I'm a terrible person ^^; Okay, I had a serious case of writer's block, but you guys helped me out of it with your awesome reviews! So:**

**Rose Tiger: Thank you for reviewing me so much! You've been great, and since you reviewed so faithfully, I have something special for you. You can tell me anything you want to happen in the story, and if I can fit it at all, I'll do it just for you. Okay? Make sure it's something good!**

**EbonPurlight: Thanks for giving me feedback! I need it a lot…-.- You're welcome to suggest things you want to happen in the story, too. It's not a guarantee like I gave Rose Tiger, but if it's good, I'll definitely use it! Thanks!**

**Please review, people! Give me ideas, cause I have no idea how this story is gonna end! I'll update soon, I promise! Bye!**


	8. Traitor

**Traitor**

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I've been **_**really**_** busy with college and I had a lot of things to do…I swear I'll update more in the future; please keep reading…I'll try to make it longer than usual to make up for it…**

"speaking"

Uuuuuuuuuuu-paragraph break

Hitomi's eyes sparkled the blood red of the Sharingan as she held the kunai in a battle stance.

"You're not fit to lead the clan, Uzumaki; the elders are fools for thinking so."

Naruto tensed his body, readying to spring into action on a moment's notice- Hinata did the same.

"All right, Hitomi," Naruto said. "So you don't think I'm fit. That's a good reason to pull a knife on us?"

"It's not just that you shouldn't lead us. It's that now you know we exist, and you know where our headquarters are located. If you aren't leading us, you're a liability. And I won't suffer dangers to the Hogosha."

Hinata flexed her fingers. "Naruto is right, Hitomi. And you've no right to decide whether or not we're capable of leading the Uchiha or not. The elders outrank you."

Hitomi's eyes flashed. "The elders…Feh! A wrinkled bunch of blind fools who don't understand that only one of Uchiha blood can lead us!"

Hinata's eyes slightly widened as realization dawned. "It's not that you really think Naruto is unqualified, is it, Hitomi? You want the position for yourself."

Hitomi's eyes narrowed to slits. "You know nothing about me, girl. And now you won't know anything ever again." She quickly flipped a small scroll out of one of her pockets and unfurled it, biting her thumb and smearing it across the parchment.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu! Shadow beast!"

A massive, shapeless black blob appeared in a cloud of smoke on the floor and zipped toward Hinata.

"Naruto!" Hinata said quickly. "You take Hitomi! I've got this thing under control!"

Naruto nodded and charged toward her, trading a series of vicious punches and kicks with her.

Hinata's eyes pulsed into their awakened Byakugan state as the beast rolled toward her. She extended her chakra about ten centimeters past the tips of her fingers and crouched low, timing her slash to synchronize exactly with the beast passing in front of her-

Except it disappeared. Hinata slashed through thin air, losing her balance but quickly regaining it as she spun around scanning for the beast. It had simply…_dissolved_ into the floor, like water. Her eyes darted around the dark mahogany wood on the floor- but it was nowhere to be seen.

The thing was simply _gone-_which was impossible…wasn't it?

Something blurred in the corner of her vision, and Hinata quickly turned to face it. The beast had reappeared, and taken the form of a massive black tiger with beads of white where eyes should have been. It roared at her, sounding like the crunch of broken glass being crushed, then pounced like lightning. Hinata quickly sidestepped and slashed the beast's front right leg off; it landed on the floor with a _splat._ The beast, however, didn't seem affected at all- it landed on the floor…and grew another leg. And the leg that had landed on the ground began to twist and morph, growing larger and larger until it was a _de facto_ clone of the original. The two beasts circled around her slowly, then both tensed as if they were going to attack. This was bad…Hinata couldn't attack them; they would just regrow. She couldn't defend; she had never learned Neji's rotation strategy. Could she evade? Between the two of them, the beasts had almost every angle of attack covered. This wasn't some lowly summon without intelligence- this was a strategist's familiar. Evasion was her only option. She watched for the split-second warning that would give away their attack- she tensed herself to spring and-

"_Odama Rasengan!"_

The beast behind her- the one between her and Naruto and Hitomi- exploded into an oily shower that splattered both of them. Naruto burst through, and Hinata knew she had found her chance. She couldn't use the Rasengan, but perhaps she could do something to the same effect. She quickly flexed her fingers and wove a blue net of chakra threads around the other stalking beast that she pulled into a tight dome surrounding it. Moving her hands closer together, the dome shrank inexorably- the beast realized what was happening, and started to thrash wildly around, slamming its body against the half-sphere that offered no leeway. Still the dome shrank until the beast's snorts and roars stopped, as the familiar reverted to its liquid state to preserve itself. This was the moment Hinata had been waiting for- she raised the chakra trap into the air as it reshaped itself into a sphere, infusing the trap's energy into the beast inside. She closed her eyes to concentrate for half a second, then quickly pulled her hands apart. The sphere erupted into a black slick, coating them with even more of the disgusting stuff.

Naruto grinned before quickly turning around. "Nice job, but I've got to get back to Hito-uurgh!"

His grin turned to a pained grimace as Hitomi's special elongated kunai appeared through the front of Naruto's vest in the stomach area, along with a quickly blossoming red stain. The blade quickly disappeared- the stain didn't. He toppled over; behind him stood Hitomi, scowling as she held her blade.

"Pathetic," she said. "Never take your eyes off the enemy."

Naruto looked up at Hinata. "Don't listen to her," he said weakly, smiling. "I'm your husband. I'm supposed to do this kind of thing for you…Take the pain for you…"

"Shut up!" Hitomi said, kicking his prone form. He squawked in pain, then went silent as his eyes closed and he curled up into the fetal position. "Your voice is starting to tick me off!"

"Naruto!"Hinata said, rushing to his side and kneeling down. She tried to check his pulse, but-

"I'd worry about yourself before I worry about your dead idiot of a husband!" Hitomi yelled as she slashed at Hinata's throat. She reflexively rolled away and sprang to a standing position. She knew Naruto wasn't dead- the kyubi inside him kept all but the worst injuries non-lethal- but he _was_ in severe pain. Because of her. An odd combination of fear, guilt, anger, and pure hatred flowed through her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she shouted back at Hitomi, "Shut up! You've no clue who or what Naruto is! But you won't touch him. Not while I still breathe!"

She dashed at Hitomi, aiming for her stomach with a Gentle Fist, but she caught Hinata's hand and pulled her forward, jackhammering a punishing fist into her chest. A small trickle of blood appeared on her lips as she gasped in pain- but she rebounded and slapped Hitomi straight across the face.

The Uchiha was unfazed. "Pitiful. Reduced to catfighting already? I expected a bit more from-" Hitomi was cut off as her eyes widened in shock and disorientation.

Hinata grinned deviously. "Catfighting, eh? Not quite. I would have thought that an Uchiha would know never to let a Hyuga strike you with an open palm. You'll be out of whack for quite a while. At least long enough for me to smack you around a bit."

Hinata stepped back, letting Hitomi wobble slightly.

"Gentle Fist! Lion's Drop!"

Hinata smashed an open palm into Hitomi's stomach, launching her into the air. She flipped onto her hands and kicked her higher before grabbing Hitomi in midair and crossing her legs like a vicegrip around her body.

Hinata screamed uncharacteristically as Hitomi slammed into the ground- she heard a definite _snap_ as her opponent landed wrong on her arm. She leapt away and ran over to Naruto's body, where he had rolled into a face-down position.

"Naruto?" she said. "Are you all right?"

At first there was no response. Then- "I'm…I'm not…I'm not okay…"

Hinata's gut went cold as she realized that something was wrong with Naruto's voice.

It was her father's.

Naruto turned to her, and his face looked exactly like Hiashi's- stern and disapproving, like she had always remembered her father in her childhood. But why was she remembering him like this? He wasn't cold toward her now. Actually, he was- wait, why was she even thinking like this? _Naruto had her father's face!_

A genjutsu- that was it. It had to be. And Hinata was perfect at chakra control; she should be able to dissipate it…

Not-Naruto stood up effortlessly and was still for a second before striking Hinata across the face.

"You're worthless!" he shouted in a mockery of her father's voice. "You were never destined to be great. You were born into the most prestigious clan in Konoha, yet you married an…an outcast, a valueless piece of garbage! Ungrateful wench!" He slapped her face again.

Hinata was silent for a second before tears started to bubble in her eyes. "No, Father…you're wrong…you're wrong! Maybe Naruto isn't who or what _you_ wanted me to marry, but…I love him, and he loves me! I'm your daughter; shouldn't you love me? After all, I'll love my-" She stopped short.

Not-Naruto looked at her with a blazing fury in his white eyes. "As my _daughter,_ you ought to respect me! You expect love from me when you scorn my name, spurn my requests to reconsider who you marry? Then I've raised a fool."

"N-No…"A stutter. She hadn't stuttered in five years. This was bad. "I… I don't…_You're not my father!_ My father loves me, even though he used to be cold and mean like you. You hate me…You can't be him!"

That was when Not-Naruto's hands went around her throat, throttling the life out of her. No, this was wrong, so profoundly wrong…She had to disperse the jutsu quickly. She had to concentrate, focus on her chakra flow, all the while having Not-Naruto's strong hands crushing the soft tissue around her esophagus. Her vision started to speckle with black, and her head began to pound from lack of oxygenated blood.

_Focus, focus…_

She wanted to take a breath, she _needed_ to breathe, but she couldn't, she just couldn't…

_Focus!_

"Well, well, well," Hitomi said as Hinata gasped, slumping to the floor. "I didn't think you'd be able to escape my trap. Nice move though, slapping me across the face. It was unexpected. Luckily, I don't need signs to use a genjutsu- my Sharingan's enough." She slowly advanced toward Hinata's prone form, spinning her kunai around her finger. "Though now it's checkmate."

No. No. It couldn't end like this. Why wasn't anyone coming to help? She almost broke down weeping. She wasn't strong enough to save Naruto, even when he had done the same to her multiple times before. She was worthless. Worthless…

"Goodbye." Hitomi raised her blade like an executioner's axe. Hinata closed her eyes and took a breath.

_Goodbye, Naruto. I'm sorry…_

She waited for the whiff of air, and the sharp sudden stinging of her neck, and then blackness…Hinata heard the sound of the kunai slashing through the cool apartment's air and braced herself.

_Clang!_

Clang? What was going on…? Tentatively, she opened her eyes- and when she did, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Don't worry," he said, grinning. "I've got it under control from here."

A second of stunned silence later, Hinata found her voice.

"…Sasuke…!"

The once-moody Uchiha kept the smile on his face. He wore a battered leather jacket and a pair of faded jeans, and a sheath-empty now- slung over his back. "Just the same," he said, keeping his old katana blocking Hitomi's kunai.. "Quick. You need to go help Sakura attend to Naruto's wounds. I can take care of this situation."

Hinata couldn't do more than nod in disbelief and shakily stand up. Sasuke was here? Now? She wouldn't complain…but she would want an explanation later. For now, though, it would be enough to see the pair of them again. She quickly made her way over to Naruto-_the real one this time-_ and saw Sakura, looking no older than the day she had left with Sasuke. However, now her hair was tied back into a smart pink ponytail, and she wore a loose-fitting, black short-sleeved shirt with a pair of dark grey pants carrying multiple pockets on their sides. She was holding two hands on Naruto's stomach, eyes closed, mouth a short horizontal slash. She knelt down beside Sakura.

"Hello, Hinata," Sakura said, not opening her eyes-but smiling. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Hinata nodded, then realized Sakura couldn't see it. "Yes," she replied. "But…is there any way I can help here…? I did learn medical ninjutsu from Lady Tsunade…"

Sakura abruptly opened her eyes and turned. "Yes, actually. I need you to hold Naruto in stasis while I get some supplies from the Hogosha. All right?"

Hinata nodded again. "Yes, I can do that…" As Sakura dashed out of the room, Hinata placed her hands on Naruto, one where his neck and torso joined, and one on his stomach. Diffuse the chakra over as wide an area as is needed, Tsunade had always said.

As she focused her energies on holding Naruto's wounds sealed, she felt a massive presence in front of her. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell he was there- it was like standing next to a massive electrical generator. She could almost hear the…whatever it was nearly literally buzzing with power.

_It's good to see a familiar face._

Hinata flinched. This was the kyubi- they had spoken before, occasionally. "Yes, Kyubi-san. I'll need your help to keep Naruto stable."

_Well, I'd say I have a vested interest in keeping the kid alive, so of course I'll help you. You'll need to place your hands in_ _his wound._

"In it?" Hinata asked quizzically. "Wouldn't it be enough to just be around it instead?"

_Usually, yes. This time, no. That Uchiha wench's blade was coated in a thin film of poison more toxic than Sasori's, way back in the day. By putting your hands in the wound, you have more direct access to the blood. With your help, I'll be able to burn the poison out of the kid. But I'm warning you. It won't exactly be…pleasant._

Hinata set her mouth in a determined grimace. "Unpleasant or not, Kyubi-san, I'll do whatever is needed to keep Naruto-ku…to keep Naruto alive. But…why couldn't you do this with Sakura?"

_Because you're the one that knows him best, kid. You've been with him for eight years- of all people, you understand the most how I interact with him, the specific effects I have on his body. So you'll be the most prepared. Now we'll need to do it quickly._

"Yes, of course." Hinata gently placed her hands into the unnatural hole in Naruto's flesh that was still weeping blood. It was warm, and more than a bit off-turning. "Okay, Kyubi-san," she asked, "What now?"

_I just need you to focus as much chakra as you can into the palms of your hands._

She quickly did so, and her arms all the way up to her elbows began to glow blue.

_Okay, kid. We'll burn out the poison…NOW!_

It felt like a million volts were burning their way through Hinata's bloodstream, electrocuting every single cell in her body. This was what Naruto felt every second of every day…how did he live with it? It hurt_ so much…_ Still, she gritted her teeth and bore the pain. If Naruto needed a helping hand to share the hurt he felt, then Hinata would be the one to give it! It took all her concentration to keep her chakra in her hands and keep from screaming in agony.

_Good, kid! You're holding up great! Just a little bit more and we're home-free!_

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain finally subsided to a dull, throbbing ache all over her body.

_Nice work, kid. You can rest now. It seems that Uchiha's got everything under control, so you can take a breather._

Panting, Hinata finally opened her eyes, and saw Naruto, his eyes still closed, but smiling peacefully, with regular breaths. She turned to Sasuke, who was still fighting with Hitomi. She'd have to entrust him to beat her…she had nothing left. Hinata slumped over next to Naruto and passed out with a smile identical to his.

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Hitomi was fighting tooth and nail against Sasuke's onslaught of sword attacks and martial arts. He delivered a devastating sweep with his foot as he hopped over, only to face an elbow to the chest that knocked her onto her back.

She quickly recovered, springing onto her feet. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

As she put her hand over her mouth to channel the flames, Sasuke blurred momentarily before returning to normal. A massive fireball erupted in front of her, incinerating the opponent that stood before her-

-Which was when she felt a pair of hands grab her by the neck and waist, and slam her down to the floor. She couldn't stay ahead of him. What was going on here?

Sasuke put a heavy boot-clad foot on her stomach and frowned. "A traitor among the Uchiha? This is pathetic- Why would you kowtow to the Cult?"

Hitomi scowled. "Those reasons are mine alone. And you're not going to learn them ever now."

Her left arm flashed down to a pocket, and Sasuke flinched in expectation of her pulling another weapon. But it was no knife.

It was a pill, clenched in between her front teeth.

Sasuke hissed. "That's-"

"A spy killer," she replied, grinning wickedly. "I'm sure you know what happens to spies whose covers are blown and can't get out in time. And I'm not about to let that happen to me…I die for Lord Naginata!"

"No!" Sasuke shouted, trying to swipe the capsule out of her mouth before-

_Too late._

The powdered contents from the broken pill fell down her throat, and her eyes went wide before her body stiffened.

Her voice was raspy and weak. "You…won't…get me…after all…Tira…nonne…"

Sasuke felt a sudden, unexpected surge of guilt dread, rage and depression sweep over him almost instantly. He fell to his knees and grabbed her clothing in his fists.

"No! No, dammit!" he shouted, a pained expression on his face. "You're an Uchiha! You don't enslave yourself to a lunatic and get killed for him! I don't care if you're a spy- you're my family…I don't want to watch the Uchiha die again…!"

A few pearly tears began to form in his eyes, but remained unshed. He had seen the massacre of his clan before, and then had killed his own brother because of misinformation. He couldn't bear to see another of his clan dead…Sakura had known all of this before, but she didn't think he would react so severely when she came back through the open doorway. She quickly ran over to him and clutched his arm.

"Sasuke…Are you all right, Sasuke?"

He turned to her with a look of intense hurt in his eyes. She had seen that type of eyes before- the crazed eyes of someone who was having a traumatic flashback. "No…I'm…I'm not all right, Sakura. I killed _another_ clan mate, Sakura- just like I killed my brother! Just like…Just like Itachi!"

And then Sasuke did something that Sakura had almost never seen him do before- he broke down crying. Great, heaving sobs, that sounded too painful to listen to; time stood still and Sakura put her arms around him for an eternity before the Hogosha finally arrived.

**An Unexpected Leader, Chapter VIII-Traitor- END**


	9. The Decision

**An Unexpected Leader, Chapter IX**

**An Interminable Search**

**AN: I'm extremely sorry that I haven't updated in so long, and that this chapter is so short. This is because I have a major(think Star Destroyer-sized) writer's block on this story, I guess because my runescape work has taken up a lot of my time and creativity. Therefore, concrit and plotline ideas are greatlyappreciated. I mean it. Suggest some plot points. Do it!...Please?**

The sun beat down mercilessly on the dunes of the Land of Wind. Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Akamaru crunched across the sandy slopes, the first four wearing loose, white robes and face masks to prevent the relatively minor sandstorms that came far too frequently from blowing grit into their mouth.

Shikamaru sighed, his brows furrowed like angry caterpillars. "Thanks, Kakashi," he grumbled to himself. "'Go look for the woman presumed dead', he says. 'I'm sure you'll find her eventually.' Lovely."

Neji, stoic as usual, marched in lockstep behind Shikamaru, silent and sullen-looking. Tenten was behind him, a wry frown upon her face, followed by Kiba, who was openly angry and Akamaru, who was, strangely, not at all depressed-looking. In fact, he seemed perfectly at home in the desert heat.

"Okay, Shikamaru," Kiba said, still tramping across the dunes. "Who exactly are we looking for again?"

The leader rolled his eyes and turned around. "For the last time, Kiba-"

"There wasn't a first time!"

Shikamaru groaned. "It's a figure of speech. But I did tell you once, during the initial mission briefing. You need to be able to internalize information the first time you hear it…but I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you again. So-and this time, make sure to remember it-"

Shikamaru's eyes flashed. "-we're searching for Kushina Uzumaki."

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Hinata slowly came to, feeling like her head had been sealed inside a concrete block. Her eyes reluctantly opened, and she found that she was in a clean, mahogany-paneled room, with two small dressers and a large armoire in between them. She tilted her head down, and found that she was lying in an opulent bed; she was wearing a simple grey shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Around her wrist was a plastic bracelet that read_ STABLE._ Beneath it the words _NOT YET SUITABLE FOR RELEASE _were printed in blocky black letters. Stable, but not fully recovered, then. Why? She hadn't actually taken that much physical damage, only what her body had inflicted upon itself under the stress of Hitomi's genjutsu- that, and her aiding of the kyubi in healing Naruto. But that wasn't physical injury, was it?

"Finally awake, eh?"

She turned her head to the left to see Naruto sitting on a long couch that was in front of a tapestry depicting various scenes of nature. His legs were crossed, and he wore a sleeveless jacket that had a fur-lined hood on it. His pants were black, and had steel caps at the knees. He wore no shoes.

Hinata swung her legs over the side of the bed as the pain in her head began to subside. Replacing it, though, was a strange buzzing feeling, and she felt rather flushed. "Yeah," she replied. "Though the way I'm feeling now, I wish I were still asleep." She was sure she could feel her face turning red.

"Maybe not," Naruto replied, smiling wryly. "You were out for two days already."

Hinata's eyes bulged. "I was…when….what…two days?" she repeated lamely.

"Yeah, Hitomi's genjutsu did a number on you, all right." His grin faded, and his head drooped. "Well, that and…what you did for me."

"You know about that?"

"Of course," Naruto replied. "Kyubi told me about it- about how you kind of acted like a focus point for his...I mean, our chakra. You, ah…you didn't have to do that for me, you know…I would have recovered on my own."

Hinata stood up, and instantly regretted it- her vision began to blur, and she got dizzy, beginning to sway like a palm tree. Naruto jumped up and gave her his shoulder to lean on.

Slowly, the nausea subsided. When she was confident she wouldn't throw up the next time she opened her mouth, Hinata said, "No…I did have to do it. You took a knife through the stomach for me-coated with Uchiha poison, no less. How could I just stand by and watch you suffer if there was something I could do to help? You said something about taking the pain meant for me, because you're my husband. Well, we should share that burden equally, don't you think? You're not just my husband, I'm your wife, too."

Naruto turned thoughtful for a second, then looked at her warmly. "Yeah," he said. "I should have realized it a long time ago. But better late than never, at least, right?"

Hinata nodded. "Right." Then came the subject she had completely forgotten about until just then. "And did you see? Sasuke-kun…He…and Sakura-kun…They…!" She felt like an idiot. Why were the words coming out of mouth so jumbled up? She still felt slightly flush in the face.

Naruto's face was dour for a second before splitting into a grin again. "Yeah, I saw that! They came here while you were out, and…Yeah, it was good having the team back together! Been a while, though, eh?"

Hinata smiled despite the pain directly behind her eyes. It was good to see Naruto glad about Sasuke, rather than the pained expression he took so often all those years ago. Before she could respond, there was a knock on the oak door.

"Hey! Dumbass!" came Sasuke's voice. "You gonna open this door, or should I just break it off the hinges?"

"Sasuke, come on," she could hear Sakura saying, "Hinata-chan might still be asleep!"

Hinata slowly walked to the door. "No, Sasuke-kun, it's fine, I'm finally up. Sorry for inconveniencing you."

She opened the door, and was swept up in a bear hug from Sasuke before he finally released her.

"Hinata-chan!" he bellowed, a stupid grin on his face. It had been so long since she had seen him at all, let alone smiling. It was good. "How've ya been? Naruto hasn't annoyed you too much while I've been away, has he?"

"_Oi!"_ Naruto yelled. "You stay away from my wife!"

Sasuke clasped Sakura's hand. "Not a problem, Naruto, I've got one of my own!"

Naruto stood up and gripped Sasuke's hand in a firm handshake.

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke," he said, grinning. "It really is!"

Sakura cleared her throat. "Ahem, aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Of course, of course, Sakura-chan!" he stepped over and hugged her. "So when are you due?"

Sakura smiled wryly after a second. "In about six months. Morning sickness, though…" she made a sick face- "is _not _fun. Just something for Hinata to keep in mind."

Hinata smiled, then her face fell. "Sasuke-kun…Sakura-chan…thank you for coming to help."

Sasuke grinned. "Nah, not a problem. There was something weird about that room you were staying in, though. I didn't see it until Sakura pointed it out to me. It was always there, in the corner of my eye, but I never focused on it. Almost like I didn't _want _to see it…"

"Yes, that was a failing on my part," Akira said, stepping through the doorway. He looked at Sasuke and Sakura gravely. "Hitomi placed seal tags around the door frame, placing a perception filter around the room that only affected Uchiha eyes. Luckily, Sasuke-san brought his wife, who detected the barrier and alerted us to it. Forgive me, Lord Uzumaki. I did not suspect that Hitomi was a spy for the Cult. My life is forfeit as you see fit."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Uh, no, that's fine, Akira. We all made it through okay- that's what matters, right?"

Hinata nodded. "Don't worry, Akira-san," she said, smiling warmly. "All's well that ends well."

Akira frowned. "That is what I fear, Lady Hinata. It has not yet ended well. Though Hitomi was killed, we had no idea that she was a mole for the Cult. There may still be spies within our walls, and I cannot rest easy while you are unsafe, m'lord."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Hinata said, cocking her head. "Should we leave?"

Akira bit his lower lip. "I _would_ say that's the most prudent course of action…Yes, I believe that though you have not looked in the archives, we should head back to Konoha."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright then. To Konoha!" He grinned. "For the first time in years."


End file.
